What Is Dante's Justice

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The important theme of the first book of Dante Alighieri’s epic poem, The Divine Comedy, is God’s justice. The punishments that the souls in Hell must endure, although may seem cruel and extreme in comparison to the sins committed by each, are stressed as deserved and are stressed as justly enforced by the Lord.

Contrapasso, or counterpoise, a term used by Bertram de Born in Canto XXVIII, defines the basis of almost all punishments in Hell, where damned souls are subject to deserts that resemble their sins, as is the case in Canto V where the lustful are thrown around in a whirlwind as their lust blew them around aimlessly, or deserts that contrast their sins, as demonstrated in Canto XX where fortune tellers have the orientation of their …show more content…
This lack of understanding and sentimentality could be considered an offense to God as it is as if Dante feels that the souls don’t deserve their punishments in Hell. It makes it seem as if Dante feels that God’s judgment is erroneous.

So, Dante the Pilgrim is taught, while traversing the tapering terrain of Hell, to realize that the chastisements of the shades within are deserved and fair and that they were perfected by God. He demonstrates this new-found mindset in Canto XXXIII where those who perform treachery against guests are punished in Ptolomea by being

submerged in a sea of ice with their heads frozen upwards so that their tears freeze in their eyes. In this section of Hell, Dante promises to clear the frozen tears from Friar Alberigo’s face so that he may “vent the sorrow which impregns [his] heart/ A little,” (Canto XXXIII, L.103-104), in order to acquire Friar Alberigo’s name and information on the level of Hell that he is in. Although, he had promised to remove the frozen tears, after learning of Friar Alberigo’s wrong-doings, Dante decides that “to be rude to him was courtesy,” (Canto XXXIII, L.150), and so does not fulfill …show more content…
It has been a work of interest throughout the ages and still is, today.

In this poem, there are references to people and events from history, the Bible, and even Greek mythology. Numerous references populate the poem and an extensive knowledge of each is preferable in order to understand all of them.

Dante Alighieri firmly believed that the Church had become corrupt and lost sight of its original divine intention. His work shows the corruption of the Church, as he boldly places even the Pope in Hell to
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